The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-29
WHO'S DARq
Speak Up, or Zee Gwine to Shoot.
From the Detroit Free Press


On the evening of May Is, 1864, Gems.
Butler and Beauregard faced each other on
the James river in the neighborhood of Ber-
muda Hundred. Buffers headquarters on
that night were in farmhouse within nine
miles of Richmond, and he had had the best
Of the fighting INDUCED in during the day
The sun was scarcely down before Beaure-
guards chief of scouts called six of us sub
ordinates together for consultation, and
in half an hour each man had his work
planned for him on the right of Buffers
line, which rested on the James, or was
probably supposed to by the commander
Instead of this however, as was easily dis
covered from our front before dark, his line
of infantry rested on high ground q long
| three quarters of a mile from the water
What other troops filed the gap we could
| not make out, and it was almost believed
| that some mistake or blunder had left gap
| by which Beauregard could march in and
| turn the Federal flank.
The orders issued to the scouts were to
| inspect this stretch of ground and ascertain
what troops occupied it, and how they were
| situated to meet sudden attack We did
| not leave the outpoSts until 10 o'clock, and
| by that time a mist was rising from the
| river and the low lands to increase the dark
| the whole mile front. and as we were all
dressed in blue each one went forward in
confidence. had the uniform of Federal
| Second Lieutenant, and from prisoners we
| had captured that day knew that the first
| troops we should find in this direction would
| belong to Heckman's brigade. / made no
effort whatever at concealment but walked
| straight ahead toward the Federal lines, and
| the first salutation got was:
NLNN- H. r. l..
shootn
replied in the customary manner and
advanced upon two negro cavalrymen who
| were on outpost few hundred feet from a
reserve picket of a dozen men. When chal-
lenged for the countersign, / advanced as
closely as possible, and said:
"Who posted you niggers here9 You
| have left your posts, and l viii have you
shotw
Deed, sab, we's bin right yere all de
| time. Heahs de VERY spot whar' de ossi-
| fer put us!"
"Well, you come with me- Your officer
| shall be tried by court-martial at once!"
Both men followed me straight to the Con-
| federate outpost, where they were taken in,
and then returned to inspect the reserve. !
walked boldly in among the men, who were
| in charge of white Sergeant and angrily
demanded:
Sergeant, get your men in line and fol-
| low me! The rebels are falling back, and
| you ought to have known it half an hour
| agom
He sprang up, saluted me, gave the order
to fall in, and the entire picket was
marched into the Confederate lines At the
same time other scouts arrived with other
| colored prisoners, and, as matter of fact
and of military record, we took over forty
of the Federal pickets out of that gap with
out gun being fired or an alarm being
| given. The last men were taken at II 80
| o'clock, by which time dense fog had set
tied over everything. After taking in my
second batch Joined scout named Phil
| brick, and together we fanked a reserve
picket and penetrated almost to the Ber-
muda Hundred road. All along in front of
| Weit2els division we found telegraph wires
| strung from tree to tree and stump to
stump, and we were provided with files to
| remove them. We worked at this a full
hour, and then knowing that the Confede
rate advance would be made soon after mid
night, we made our way back to the lines
On the way we picked up an Orderly Ser
geant of cavalry, who was drunk and rid
ing about the country at will He was bent
forward ON the saddle, clasping his horses
name with both hands, and the animal was
picking its own way and taking its OWL
time. While my comrade led the horse
| held the Sergeant IN MS saddle, ana ne kept
muttering to himself:
sole fell'r, yer drunk-stavin' drunk
Boys, whazzer think of a felrr who get
drunk on leckshun day, eh!"
He was sober enough to realize the situa
ton when we turned him over a prisoner
but, with maudlin gravity, he held out hi
hand to the Captain who received him anC
said:
"Shay Gener'l, gimme SO, AN I'll lici
Misses Bugard's hull army in jess two min
itSn